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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. season — of the year
  3. race — humankind
  4. present — the time now
  5. race — a contest
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. present — a gift
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. season — in sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. scale — in music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chip — to eat
  22. race — the arms race
  23. present — there
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com